Bottle-tap



C. H. NICKELL.

BOTTLE TAP.

APPLICATION FILED API1.2.1919.

1,324,206.v v B91911161 Dea. 9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. H. NICKELL.

BOTTLE TAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2. IsIs.

1 ,$324,206. v Patented Deo. 9, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r.. I `I M J' guna/nt@ 7mm/ED STATES PAEENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. NICKELJ, 0F MONTROSE, GOLORADO.

BOTTLE-TAP.

To `all whom z't may concern Be it known that I, CHARLESA H. NIGKELL, acitizen ofthe United States, residing 'at Montrose, in the county ofMontrose and State of Colorado, have invented 'c'ertain new and usefulImprovements in Bottle- Taps, of which the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompanyino drawings.

This invention relates to devices for withdrawing liquids from bottleswithout the necessity of removing the cap or other closure from thebottle, and particularly to devices of that character wherein there is atubular puncturing device which is forced through the bottle cap or corkwithout removing the cork or cap, the puncturing` device being providedwith a tap or valve for controlling the discharge of liquid from thecontainer.

The general object of my invention is to provide an improved tapparticularl adapted for use with bottles containing e fervescentliquids, such as ginger ale, mineral water, cham agne, etc., including aclamp designed to e placed over the mouth of the bottle and engagedtherewith, this clamp having the general form of a cap and beingprovided with a rubber or other gasket, and said cap and gasket beingrovided with a central passage through w ich the tubular uncturingdevice may be inserted.

A furt er object is to provide a device of this character embodying a cabe placed over the mouth of t e bottle and the regular cap thereon, andhaving a plurality of segmental clamps swingingly connected to the falsecap and having inwardly turned Hanges at their upper ends adapted togrip beneath a rbead or ange on Vthe bottle neck or mouth/and rovidemeans whereby these clamps/may e urged inward into clam ing engagementwith the bottle.

Stil another. object is to provide a false cap with an interiorlydisposed, centrally perforated, nubber gasket with clamping evershavingJshanks extending into the cap' through slots in the side wall ofthe cap, and provide a guide member slidingly mounted in the to of thefalse cap and engaged with the shanv s of the clamping members so thatwhen the guiding member is forced downward, the an lar ends of theclamping members will e forced outward to permit the false cap to beplaced upon the bottle top, so that when pressure is relieved, the

specification of Lettere Patent. Application iled April 2, 1919. SerialNo. 286,899.

designed to y Patented Dec.` 9, 1919.

' rubber gasket, acting as a s ring, will force the uiding member upwarand thus urge the c amping members into engagement with the bottle.

l Other objects have to do with the details of construction andarrangement of parts, as will hereafter more fully appear.

My invention is illustrated in the accom-v Fig. 7 is a verticalsectional view through the cap portion;

F1 8 is-a vertical sectional view of the tap s owing the outlet valveretracted; and

Fig.'9 is an under side plan view of the gasket. A In the accom anyingdrawings, l have illustrated two orms of my invention. 1n theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 there is a cap designated 10which is adapted to fit over the top or mouth of a bottle and which isprovided with the inwardly proecting annular flange l1 at' its upperend. his flange also projects slightly outward beyond the wall of thecap. Disposed between the top and bottom of my cap is an inwardlyextending diaphragm 12 having a central opening 13 and mounted upon thecap at diametrically opposite portions thereof are the clamping jaws 14,each clam ing jaw. being arcuate in section, angularly ent at its loweredge, as at 15, and reduced in width toward its upper end to form ashank, the upper end of the shank being bent to form a hook 16 insertedthrough a erforation in the side wall of the cap. is osed to engage andwedgedown over the s anks of the jaws is a ring 17, and disposed withinthe cap between the bottom thereof and the web or diaphragm l12 is agasket 18 of rubber, leather, com osition, or any other suitablematerial, this gasket having a central opening coinciding with theopening 13 and bein preferably recessed at its center, as at 19. t willbe obvious that when this cap is plug 21 at its lower end, this ,plugbeing hollow, andhaving extending from it a perforating tube 22 formedat its lower end with apointed extremity and provided adjacent its lowerend with lan inlet opening 23. Midway of the valve casing 20 there isprovided the web 24 having a central opening formed to provide a valveseat, and coacting with this opening is a valve 25 having a stem 26extending upward into the upper portion of the valve and acted upon by alever l27 operatively engaged with the valve casing so that when, theexterior portioniofv the lever 27 is depressed, the stem 26 will [bedepressed, opening the valve against the force of a spring 28. rllhevalve casing above the septum or web 21 is provided with the d1schargenozzle 29.

It will be seen that the valve casing with its tulbular portion 22constitutes a combined tap and perforator and yafter the cap 10 h-asbeen put in place upon the bottle, this pointed perforator 22 is forceddownward through the central opening in the cap and f'rced through themetallic cap or closure ordinarily used on ginger ale, soda pop, andother bottles containing elfervescent liquids. So long as the valve 25remains closed, and this valve is held to its seat not onlyby the spring28 but rby the pressure of the gas within the lower portion of the valvecasing, no liquid will -be discharged, but, of course, when the valve isopen, the liquid will be discharged through the perforating tube 22 outthrough the discharge nozzle ormouth 29. By means of this device it isan easy matter to discharge only a portion of the contents of a bottlecontaining eifervescent liquids and retain the remainder of liquidwithin the. bottle without the gas escaping therefrom which, of course,is not the case where the cap of the Ibottle or other closure of thebottle is removed.

InFigs. 4 to 9 I 'show another and preferafble form of my device. Inthis construction, I'provide a cap 30 which is also made of metal, thecap being provided with a central opening 31. Adjacent the top of thecap, the cap is slitted Iat a plurality of -points for the reception ofthe upper angularly bent ends of the shanks 32 of clamps 33. Each of.these clamps is arcuate in format its lower end, and is angul-arly bentat its lower ed e, as at 34, to extend beneath the bead a o a bottle A.Disposed through the opening 31 is a relatively short, tubular memberflanged at its lower end, as at 36, and preferably, though notnecessarily, this flange is so formed as to loosely receive the innerends of the Shanks 32 of the clam-ps. Thus when this memlber 35 isforced inward, it will tend to shift the lower ends of the clampsoutward. When the member 35 is forced upward, it will tend to urge thelower ends of the clamps inward.

Disposed within the cap is a rubber or other elastic gasket 37 havingpreferably its under face ihollofwed out, as at 38, and having arelatively smaller opening 39 on its under face. In alinement with thisopening 39 there is a relatively small opening 40 through whichtheliquid is discharged from the cap into the tubular member 35 and sointo the tap. This gasket is put in place within the cap andnormallybears'against the flanged, inner end of the tubular member 35 sothat the elasticity of the gasket tends to push the tulbular memberupward and tends to urge the clamping terminals of the clamps 33 inward.`lf, however, the member 35 is forced inward against the resiliency ofthe gasket,the lower ends of the clamp-s will be.

forced outward in the manner heretofore described.

'lhe tap and perforator comprises a valve caslng 41 and a tubularpointed perforator 42 which, in thisinstance, extends at right angles tothe valve casing, this tubular perforator being provided with the inletopening 43. The valve casing is tubular and has a relatively smallnozzle 44 formed at its inner end to provide a valve seat 45 and theopposite end of the casing 41 is closed by a screw-threaded plug 46through which passes a valve stem 47 carrying at its eXtremity a valve48. e

While I do not wish to be limi-ted to this feature, yet preferably therewill be a rubber sleeve 49 surrounding the valve stem, this sleevebearing at one end against the valve 48 and at its opposite end beingeX- panded to fit around the reduced inner end of the plug 46.Thisrubber sleeve, inasmuch as it fits around and over this reducedinner end of the plug 46, prevents gas from escaping around the stem atthis point and also performs the further function of a spring acting rtourge the valve to a closed position. Upon the extremity of the valvestem is provided an operating lever 50 which, when its .outer vend isforced inward,

When it is desired `to use the device, the

perforator is withdrawn from the central i 'taining effervescentliquids.

-1 nausea olpening of the tubular portion 35 and then t e cap isdisposed over the mouth of the bottle, the closure of the bottle,ofcourse, remaining in lace. As soon as pressure is relieved Ion te'mernber 35, the resilience of the hollow gasket will act to urgetheclamps inward around the bottle neck and beneath the bead a and then theperforator is forced downward through the opening in the member and thesharp point of the perforator through the 'bottle cap, cork, or otherclosure. l1en`the liquid can be` withdrawn from time to. time asrequired without allowing-the escaping of an undue quantity of gas.

The practical nature of my invention ,will be understood by all whohandle bottles con- Ginger ale, ginger pop, mineral waters, soda pop,etc., are often put up in bottles that hold six to ten lasses andcontain gas underl a ressure o? from fifty to sixty pounds. ow when adealer sells a single glass, he opens the bottle, draws off aV glassfultherefrom, and then sets the bottle away, but even though he corks'thebottle up tightly, a very large quantity ofthe gas has escaped so thatthe pressure "is very greatly reduced, and even though he corks it upsecurely and tightly there will be a more or less constant escape of gasfrom the bottle sothat even where the bottle is immediately corked, the

last two or three lassesof the liquid are fiat and vapid.' With mydevice, the bottle stopper, seal, or closure is not removed, but-perforated by the perforator and the gas is prevented from escapingaround the perforator by the gasket which has been clamped down tightlyover the bottle closure, land which, being rubber, fits against theclosure tightly and fits the perforator very snugly. The steel point ofthe perforator, which is preferably made in a separate piece insertedinto the tubular perforator itself, which may be made of softer metal,may

Vbe driven in and through the metallic cap usually found on bottles ofthis character even by a tap of the hand or by driving the Itop of theperforator upward against, a counter. The contact of the top of thebottle with the washer creates an air tight connection and the liquid isthen dramed 0H through the faucet or tap in an obvious manner. rlhecontents of the bottle having all been poured out or discharged, thenthe perforator and cap is removed and the clamps disengaged from thebottle, eitherby pulling upward on the ring 17 in Fig. l or by forcing'downward onl the central tubular member 35, as in Fig. 7.

While I have illustrated two forms of Imy invention which I believe tobe particularly effective 'in practice, which may be cheaply made, andwhich, may be readily kept clean, yet it will be understood that Vengagebeneath the bea `the constructions may be varied as regards beingcapable of embodiment in many different forms.

y I claim 1. A. device of the characterdescribed comprising a metalliccap ada ted to be disposed over the top of a bott e and havin aplurality of slots in its periphery exten ing parallel t0 the top of thecap, aplu-` ra ity of transversely arcuate clam ing members formed withShanks angularly ent to extend through said .slots and havin rockingengagement with the wall thereo the free ens of the clam s being flangedto at the top of a bottle neck, means for urging the angular ends oftheclamps inward, an annular, perforated gasket dis osed within the capland adapted to lit agalnst the bottle top, and a I combined tap andperforator comprisinga valve casing, and a tubular perforator extendingfrom the valve casing and communicating with the, interior thereof andhaving a lpointed, perforated extremity.

2. device of the character described comprising a cap adapted to bedisposed over a bottle top and slotted at a lurality of points in itsside wall, the top ogthe cap having a central opening, an annular asketdisposed within the cap, a plurahty of clam ing members, each formedwith a sha the shank being bent at its upper end and passing through oneof said slots whereby `the clamping members are swing' ingly engagedwith the oapfmeans whereby sald clamping members may be forced inward toengage the bead on the bottle neck, a combined tap and perforatorcomprising a valve casing, a pointed tube extending from the valvecasing and adapted to be forced through the central opening in the capand gasket and through a bottle top, the perforator having an inletopening adjacent its extremity, and a valve controlling the discharge ofliquid from the -valve casing.

3. A device of the character described comprising a cap adapted to fitover a bottle top and havlng a central opening in its top, a tubularmember shiftably mounted in said opening, a plurality of bottle clampsswingingly mounted upon the cap and having portions operatively engagedby said tubular member whereby a movement of the vtubular member in onedirection will shift engaging flange at its free end, an annular gasketdisposed within the cap and bearing against the tubular member, a tapand perforator comprising a valve casing, a pointed tube extending tlerefrom and having an inlet opening, and a valve in the valve casingcontrolling discharge therefrom.

4. A device of the character described comprising a cap adapted to litover a bottle top and having a central opening in its top` a tubularmember vshiftably mounted in said opening, a plurality of bottle clam seacli having a shank, the upper end of t 1e shank of each clamp beinoangnlarly bent and inserted through a slot 1n the side Wall of the capand then extending beneath the top of the cap, an elastic gasketdisposed Within the cap and bearing against said Shanks and 'when underpressure forcing the shanks against the top of the cap and the free endsof the clamping members inward, a tap and perforator comprising a valvecasing, and a tubular pointed member extending there from and having `aninlet opening and adapted t-o be inserted through the cap and gasket andthrough a bottle top.

5. A device of the character described .comprising a cap having acentral opening in its top, a plurality of clamping members, eacharcuate in cross-section, and having a ends of the shanks be1n mageosshank angularly bent, the cap being formed in its side wall with slotsthrough which the shanks are inserted, the Shanks normally lyingparallel to the top of the cap, the free angularly bent to engagebeneath the bea of a bottle neck, a tubular member disposed through theopening of the cap and bearing against the Shanks, an elastic gasketdisposed Within the cap and bearin against the opposite faces of theShanks W ereby when the asket is compressed by engagement with the ottletop to force the shanks against the top of the cap and the flanged endsof the Shanks against a bottle, a combined ta and. perforator comprisinga valve casing, a perforating tube having a pointed extremity formedwith an inlet opening, the perforator being adapted to be forced throughthe tubular member on the cap, through the gasket, and through thebottle top.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

CHARLES'H. NICKELL. Witnesses: y

JOHN L. S'rrvERs, ETHEL B. STIVERS.

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